Watercolour BRUSHES for Beginners - which watercolour brush?

[@tomshepherdartist]

*Do you have a favourite brush you can't live without?* Let me know what and why!?:) . All the brushes I mention in the video, plus links to videos of all the paintings shown, are in the description.Many thanksT

[@Roonspooon]

I've only recently started painting and my Mum gave me my great granddad's old art supplies. There were loads of brushes of varying levels of knackered in there and a few that were still pretty great. My favourite of them is a size 5 Daler D.77 "Dalon" and I think it was his too as I found a couple of them that were past best as well as the nice one, so he'd obviously replaced it. :) She's got some more to give me when I can next visit so I'm looking forward to finding some new treasures!

[@tomshepherdartist]

Oh that’s really exciting!!! An art supplies treasure box....something lovely about knowing they were your grandads too!? ☺️ T

[@Roonspooon]

@@tomshepherdartist Yeah definitely! There are also a couple of little notes he's made about how he gets certain effects too and some newspaper clippings he'd kept. It's like a little time capsule! :)

[@tomshepherdartist]

Oh that’s soo cool! How wonderful ☺️

[@watercolour_ninja1114]

My favourite brush is my rigger for fine lines and details. Also have a versatile size 10 Rosemary and Co. Round which I use all the time.

[@TheLittleEconomist]

I love that you only use synthetics. Took me ages to find what I like. I live my Escoda’s and have both an ultima and versatil. Big shout out to Rosemary and Co who had the best range when I started out. I still use my red dots which are great for detail and have a good snap.

[@tomshepherdartist]

Oh yes...love my Escoda Ultimo! And more recently lots of Rosemary and co...the red dot in particular!!;)

[@watercolour_ninja1114]

Hi Tom. I Have just stumbled across your videos on KZbin and are loving them. So much so you have just become the first person I have become a Patreon for 😁😁

[@tomshepherdartist]

Hi Ian...I’m so pleased you’re loving them! And thank you so much for becoming a Patreon! Your first at that, very honoured!!☺️ I’ll catch you over there...kindest regards, T

[@alisonhendry2928]

Fabulous content as always and the small inserts of the paintings you work on with the brushes had me totally distracted! I love your bird demos and had no idea of how even MORE incredibly versatile and talented you REALLY are! Wow! That still life! and jazz musician group! When you added the dark background behind the shoulder it was like MAGIC! I am brush nut and always looking for that perfect brush that I will reach for over and over AND is synthetic. Once my sables are all worn out they will not be replaced as the synthetics today are brilliant! Escoda Versatil and Perla amazing. Rosemary and Co. Red dot, anything by da Vinci and now I am exploring King Art original gold, formerly Lowe Cornell. I love it when I pick up a synthetic and don’t realize it is not my da Vinci Maestro. I am with you on the let’s not hurt the animals for art page. Now I wish vegan paper was better… ah well one step at a time. Thank you again! You are BRILLIANT! Love to just sit and listen to you talk.

[@armandosrd.l9610]

Man, this was completely useful for me. Thank you so much !

[@tomshepherdartist]

My pleasure! So glad it helps. T

[@fuseblower8128]

I have only a few watercolor brushes (unlike oil paint brushes of which there must be at least 50 or so laying around :) The 3 I constantly use are all rounds, a #3 W&N Series 7, an #6 Isabey 6228 and a #10 Da Vinci. If I could only use one then I would go for the #6. These are all kolinsky's (Siberian Weasel). I do try synthetics from time to time and they are decent nowadays (and the obvious choice for vegetarians) but still not as good as kolinsky's.

[@petergamble6318]

That's good stuff Tom, thanks. I'm new to quill brushes and for me they're a game-changer. I love my Raphael and Princeton synthetics. I don't use the big quills because I work with small paper sizes and I dislike wasting pigment.

[@tomshepherdartist]

Me too regards quills...love them though! Don’t know the Raphael one, will check it out. Many thanks, T

[@lucev7497]

Escoda Prado, only got a size 8, but will soon buy 2-3 more of bigger sizes

[@tomshepherdartist]

Nice. I do love the Escoda brushes!!

[@jane_7193]

Excellent presentation. Thank you!

[@tomshepherdartist]

Thank you so much. T

[@jane_7193]

@@tomshepherdartist It is through hard work, the understanding gained. It is an enjoyment to watch, someone enjoying the fruits of a journey.

[@artworksbyayan]

So informative. Do u think synthetic ones made of tacklon are good. Like can u use brushes for watercolours, if the lable says tacklon brushes for acrylic, cuz at the end of the day it's synthetic and tacklon is also used for watercolours .

[@Telindra]

I like Haké brushes too, they're really really cheap. Holds an absolute sh*t ton of water and pigment, they're very soft, but you can create very interesting patterns with them as well if you decide to load them with less water. For abstract, big washes, and loose styles I believe they can really be a fun and interesting tool to work with. They definitely forces you out of the habit of being in control that so often collides and makes for a mess when you try to overly control watercolor (I'm very guilty of exactly that). Anne Kerr Art Studio have some videos about how to use them. Lois Davidson makes absolutely stunning landscapes, sea and skyscapes with Haké brushes as well. Just to mention two KZbin creators I've stumbled across that uses them.

[@tomshepherdartist]

Oh yes, thank you...I have seen and heard of this brush style..and the way you describe makes them sound really fun!! I will check them out and also the channel recommendations...many thanks!! T

[@Telindra]

@@tomshepherdartist I hope you'll find it as intriguing as I did, when first discovering them

[@cathychats]

Thank you for not using animal hair brushes ❤️ I use synthetic only and they are great

[@tomshepherdartist]

Absolutely!! I see no reason to use animal hair and synthetics are sooo good these days!!☺️🙌🏼

[@carlduffin9199]

@@tomshepherdartist - I am with you on that. All my brushes are synthetic and excellent to use.